This invention relates to transmission means for interconnecting a rotary output shaft of drive means to a rotary input shaft of means to be driven by the drive means and, more particularly, to a continuously variable transmission for motor-powered vehicles.
Heretofore, automatic and manually-operated transmissions for motorpowered vehicles have generally consisted of a combination of gears or sheaves having a radius of constant dimension interconnected by various means, such as endless chains, belts and the like. And, while several previous attempts have been made towards the employment in such transmission means of gears or sheaves having a variable radius dimension, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,446,294; 1,486,590; 3,087,349; 3,230,788; 3,613,468 and 3,798,989, as well as German Pat. Nos. 539,981 and 821,303, these prior-art forms have encountered diverse difficulties in their construction, operation and maintenance which the present invention seeks to mitigate or overcome.